Indulgent Boozy Chocolate Bread Pudding

I was tempted by a new bread at the grocery store bakery…which while pretty and had good taste, was as stale as could be. $2.99 had been wasted, and was disappointing to say the least. It could have been a stellar loaf of bread though – it was a barely sweet loaf of chocolate bread, studded with chocolate chips and dried cranberries. For breakfast toast (if fresh) it would have been great with a latte. So…..I decided to have fun and make an indulgent dessert. Which was a perfect choice. Now that I happened to have marscaprone cheese on hand isn’t very common, I had scored a great deal on it. And why not add it to bread pudding?

Not exactly a dessert I could share with the youngest child, but sometimes Mama needs something sinful!

Boozy Chocolate Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Dried Cherries
• ¼ cup dark rum
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• 8 ounces marscaprone cheese
• 1¼ cups milk, preferably whole
• 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups bread cubes, packed
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened

Directions:

Soak cherries in rum, covered, overnight. Place cubed bread on a plate, loosely cover and let sit overnight to get stale.

Butter or spray an 8×8″ glass baking dish, set in a 9×13″ glass pan, preheat oven to 350°. Bring 4 cups water to boil, set aside.

Beat eggs smooth in a large mixing bowl, whisk in brown sugar, then marscaprone cheese, until smooth. Add milk and vanilla, then soaked cherries with any remaining rum.

Add brad and chocolate chips, push the bread down to get soaked. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes, spread in prepared pan. Place pans in oven, pour hot water into the 9×13″ pan carefully, filling about half full.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly brown and the pudding appears set. Serve warm, or let cool and refrigerate, to serve cold.

Notes:

Cream cheese would work just fine in this recipe, and save a lot of money, unless like me, you happened into a sale!